Once in a blue moon

Livingston Manor High School student Ami Calo, left, and BOCES Director of Career & Technical Education Denise Sullivan took part in the All Breed Beef Cattle Clinic at the Stone Wall Farms in Jeffersonville, NY.

Before you start sending letters, I am aware that this astronomical event has not happened in a while. In fact, a second full moon within a single calendar month is rare, which is how the colloquial use of the term came into being. A quick check online illuminated this concept while informing me that usage of the phrase is actually not at all unusual. Within minutes I discovered a brewery, a cafe, a boutique and a board game, all named Blue Moon. Songs have been written and poems have been penned, but the definition of a blue moon remains the same—infrequent, uncommon and odd.

That said, it should come as no surprise that the expression pops into my mind from time to time, since I have been described as both uncommon and odd on the infrequent occasions that people actually speak about me. Once in a blue moon, I attempt to leave my comfort zone and branch out, seeking to learn something that might have escaped me. Last week, while perusing the Where and When section of The River Reporter, I came across a notice announcing an “All Breed Cattle Clinic” in Jeffersonville, NY being held at Stone Wall Farms. The item promised vendors, guest speakers, door prizes and a “complimentary Angus burger lunch” which clinched it for me, since I’m a sucker for a free meal.

Although they’re few and far between, there are occasions that I leave the Wonder Dog at home, and having read that there would be horses, coon hounds and livestock, I ignored the pouting and took off unescorted to Barbara and Ed Moran’s gorgeous farm (www.facebook.com/StoneWallFarms)—knowing that I’d be punished somewhere down the line. Once inside, the plethora of dogs greeting me did nothing to assuage my guilt, but the damage was done, and I soldiered on without her.

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Jonathan Fox currently lives in Sullivan County. Having written for film and television, he now concentrates his efforts on novels, plays and assorted periodicals, along with his weekly "Humble Opinion" on life in the Catskills.